North to south, an anniversary tour of exquisite JNF-assisted sites nationwide.

Although it has taken more than a century, by now just about everyone knows that the Jewish National Fund does a lot more than plant trees. Indeed, when founded 112 years ago this week as the Jewish National Fund/Keren Kayemet LeYisrael, its first mandate was the purchase of land in Palestine for Jewish settlement.

It soon became obvious, however, that the JNF had other crucial tasks to perform as well. For nearly a century the JNF has been planting trees, creating water supply systems, “greening” the desert, erecting monuments to fallen soldiers, and in the past decades has developed exquisite parks and stunning woodlands for public pleasure. As you drive through Israel today, it is almost impossible to pass a forest or a community that has not been helped in some way by the JNF.

Here are just a few. And they are free to all comers.

NORTH: Hurvat Dan’ila

Deep in the western Galilee, in the middle of a lush natural oak forest, the Jewish
National Fund uncovered ruins dating back 2,000 years. For an unusual winter outing, take your kids into the forest and let them stumble into an ancient city. Among the ruins they can explore at Hirbet Dan’ila are a wall, cisterns, and the winding

Read the full article over at The Times of Israel